The Wandering Sand
by Megii of Mysteri OusStranger
Summary: On Hiatus-It is known that Shukaku was once a priest whose powers were known far and wide. But when he became a demon, what happened to his followers? GaaraXOC
1. Chapter 1

The Wandering Sand

It is known that Shukaku was once a priest whose powers were known far and wide. But when he became a demon, what happened to his followers?

-

**Chapter One- Foreshadowing**

The young tanuki girl kneeled by her grandfather's bedside, her tattooed face hovering over his, eyes alighted with worry. She peeled the strip of moist leather from his forehead and dipped it back in the bowl of cool oasis water, chasing away the heat. She pulled it back out and let the excess drip off before placing the leather back on the elderly man's wrinkled brow. Her ringed tail, the color of burnt sand and dates, highlighted with faint traces of gold, twitched softly with each breath she took.

Her father, the chieftain of the tribe, sat on the other side of the reed mat, holding the dying man's hand. Thick black rings outlined his dark green eyes, three markings trickling down from the rings to his jaw like wet paint gone astray. The markings were bold against his deeply tanned skin, contrasting the necklace of skulls around his throat.

The old man between them gave a raspy gasp in his sleep and they looked at one another, fear and heartache evident in both sets of eyes. Suddenly, the old man's eyes opened, wide and bloodshot.

"Grandfather!" the girl exclaimed.

"Father…" murmured the chieftain.

The old tanuki's eyes flickered over the two younger ones. "Time…" he rasped.

The girl looked puzzled. "Huh? Gran-" She stopped when her father placed a hand on her shoulder, silencing her. She looked up at the leader, who shook his head quietly. They turned their attention back to the dying man.

"Time… there's not much left… Something… something terrible has happened." Fear filled his eyes and the girl grasped his hand, comforting, rubbing her smooth palms over the wrinkled flesh. His eyes focused on her. "Tsuna…" she looked up at the sound of her name. "The children… how many newborns have there been since I fell ill?"

Her eyes widened briefly and she lowered her head, tumbles of sandy yellow shading her eyes. "There have been…none, Grandfather. It's almost as if a curse has befallen our people. No female has been able to conceive another child, and those that had already conceived miscarried."

The elderly tanuki closed his eyes. "I see. Then it was more than just a dream…"

She looked up abruptly. "A dream?" she whispered.

The man nodded stiffly. "There was mist… swirling mist covered the sacred grounds. There was a common tanuki on the temple steps… it was dead."

The chieftain gasped. "Our people's creation place on the other side of the desert!" he murmured in alarm.

The dying tanuki continued. "There was a man walking through the mist… a human. He was walking away from the corpse." The old man squeezed his eyes tighter. "He was nigh impossible to make out in the mist, but I remember he had hair that was as red as fire, and when he turned around…" his back eyelids slid open and his face became grave. "He had Lord Shukaku's eyes."

The younger tanuki gasped, their eyes widening to the impossible.

"Father Shukaku…" The chieftain breathed.

"The creator…" Tsuna murmured in shock. She and her father exchanged glances.

The dying tanuki inhaled shakily. "I… do not know… what has happened, but… Lord Shukaku… is… is in grave danger. That… the human is the key… I don't know how…" His body jerked violently, and tears began to fill the girl's eyes.

"Grandfather! Stay with us!"

The old man grabbed the leather strap binding the girl's chest and pulled her down to face him. "Without Lord Shukaku we all shall die… without him… we…. We cannot exist. We are born from sand, and when we die, so we become sand again… you must… you must… save… you must save… Shu… Shu… Shuk… ka… ku…"

"Grandfather!" Tsuna cried, watching in horror as her beloved grandparent shuddered beneath her and fell still, his eyes glazing over and making his green irises cloudy gray.

Beside her, her father bowed his head in grief and prayer.

"Grandfather! _Grandfather_!" She cried his name out pitifully and buried her face in his chest, sobbing. Streams of sand rose from the ground and whipped around the tent violently as her emotions overflowed, proof of her grief.

-

Tsuna woke with a start. She shot up from her mat, sweating and panting. The hand woven blanket fell away from her, exposing bare, creamy breasts to the darkness. She exhaled shakily and placed her head in her hands.

A week. It had been a week since her grandfather, the tribe Seer, had died. The only thing he had left behind was a warning, telling her that Lord Shukaku, her people's creator, was in some sort of peril. It was devastating knowledge.

The great sand priest was the very being that created her people, the Suna no Tanuki. To them he was practically a god; he created and formed them from the very sands that they thrived upon. As long as the former priest still had some connection with his children, they would continue to live and grow, but if that connection were to be severed…

She shivered as a chill breeze swept through the tent flaps, caressing her bare body with icy fingers. She picked up a poncho and wrapped it around her body before going outside. There was no way she would be able to get anymore sleep this night. The numerous rodent skulls attached to the hem of the cloak clinked together, making a strange, haunting tune. Her ringed tail twitched between her legs.

She looked up at the sky, which was slowly turning a deep shade of purplish-blue. Dawn was only a few hours away. She clutched her elbows and inhaled deeply, the smell of cool sand filling her completely, very lightly hinted with salt from the ocean less than a mile from their camp. Wind blew through the area, jumbling the various feathers and animal bones woven in her hair. Ah, there it was. The thick smell of freshly dried blood reached her, proof of the previous night's sacrifice.

_Flashback_

_Drums. Drums and fire __were__ practically all one could see while spinning to the traditional Blood Dance. Everyone danced around the great bonfire, males and females and kits alike, their bodies glistening with sweat and blood. The nine drummers pounded on the leather-skin instruments enthusiastically, sending up sprays of red liquid whenever they struck a beat. Their sharp teeth bore grins._

_A small boy, his ears just recently starting to change into more human-like appendages, ran around naked and squealing, his tail flicking behind him like a blood-soaked banner of war._

_Sitting in front of the great fire was a dais, upon which Tsuna's father stood, dagger glistening with blood as a young male fell dead to the ground, a smile marring his blood-flecked features. A middle-aged woman ran up to the chieftain._

"_Oh! Me! Take me, Totaku-sama! Take me!" she swooned. "I wish to give my blood to Father Shukaku! Oh, please, kill me next!"_

_The chief gladly fulfilled her wishes._

_End Flashback_

Tsuna smiled softly at the memory and "hmmed" as dawn slowly approached. The soft sound of footsteps on sand reached her ears and she turned, coming face to face with her father. His traditional clothing had apparently been left behind in his tent, only a necklace of animal skulls and a sheet of cloth adorning his body. Faint traces of blood still stained his fingers. The lack of cloth to hide her face was not unnoticed, but he didn't seem to mind seeing as no one else was awake.

"The dream again?" he asked. She merely nodded, causing him to sigh and run a hand through his chestnut hair. Tsuna lowered her eyes, feeling weak at her inability to be self-aware during her dreams.

"I just don't understand it." She said sadly. "I've always been able to control my dreams, but now…'

Totaku placed a hand on the young tanuki's shoulder, his long, claw-like fingernails scratching the poncho softly. "I do not believe it is your fault." He assured her. "My father's words were true, something has happened to Lord Shukaku. It is possible your dreams are trying to tell you something."

Her shoulders tensed. The gift of Seeing… it was something she had the potential to possess. Both her grandfather and mother had been Seers in the tribe. The ability to foretell the future, past, and present through dream… as rare and respected as Seers were, it was not a talent she wished to possess.

As if sensing her distress, Totaku gave his daughter a hard look. "With father dead, we no longer have a Seer, Tsuna. You cannot resist if the spirits choose you as the next prophet. I will not let you reject them if that happens."

"But the blade is what calls to me, Father!" she exclaimed. "To run across the sands like drumbeats on the wind, the thrill of battle, and the spill of blood in Shukaku-sama's name, sweet and warm, that is where my skills lie and where I feel most alive! I… I can't imagine just giving it up so quickly!"

He squeezed her shoulder. "I know, daughter, but we need a new Seer, especially during these times. I won't force you to change now, of course, you haven't shown any strong signs of having the Sight yet, but you need to be aware and accept that you are the most likely candidate."

She lowered her eyes and turned away from him, looking out across the desert. He stood next to her, tail stiffening. "Riku-san returned from the human village last night."

She inhaled sharply. Riku was one of several Shifters in the group. Individuals that had the ability to disguise their true appearance, Shifter tanuki usually were sent out to explore human village to gather news of the world outside of the desert and to make sure that the tanuki's existence stayed secret.

"It seems that he had found a lead as to what has happened to Shukaku-sama."

She turned to her father with wide eyes. "He has? Truly?"

The chieftain nodded. "It is not much, but it seems that Lord Shukaku is somehow connected to a human named 'Kazekage.'"

Tsuna frowned. "What a strange name… Wind Shadow…"

"Nevertheless…" He sighed heavily. "Daughter… I want you to go and search for this human and find out what he knows. As my daughter, you have the ability to Shift, though not as drastically as other Shifters." He turned to her, forest green meeting gold-flecked emerald. "Without Lord Shukaku, our people will collapse and crumble until we are all sand once again. As his children of the sand, we must save him from whatever misfortune has happened."

Tsuna bowed to her father, while inwardly her heart leapt. "I will do as you ask, Father. When am I to leave?"

"As soon as you are ready." He said softly.

She straightened and smiled slightly at the older tanuki before running back toward her tent.

---------

"Sand Shuriken!"

Spinning blades of chakra-hardened sand buzzed through the air, spinning toward the target with deadly precision, only to thunk into the wooden chest of a puppet at the last moment. The target was gone.

Chill jade eyes, ringed with black like a tanuki, looked out over the sand for the enemy he knew was near. _Not to the left, right, or above… behind!_ He whipped around, sending a sheet of sand into the air just in time to block the fist aimed at his head. The hand skimmed by his ear instead and quickly backed off.

The black-clad man, his face painted with purple kabuki-paint, backed a safe distance away and smirked. "You need to be more aware of your surroundings, Gaara. I almost got you that time!" He leapt aside as a stream of sand rushed toward him. "You have to work that sand on your own now. You don't have Shukaku to do it for you anymore!"

"I know that, Kankuro!" The redhead growled as he forced the puppet away with his sand, blocking several projectiles as he did so.

"I don't think you do, otouto. You'd be sleeping more if you did."

"Shut up and fight."

And indeed it seemed the puppet-user's light jibe was enough to push the redhead to his old ferocity; the marionette was decimated in minutes. Kankuro groaned as he gathered up the pieces of his beloved weapon.

"Jeez… overkill much?"

"No." The fire-haired man deadpanned, crossing his arms.

Kankuro sighed, sealing his half-destroyed puppet back into its scroll and placing it on his back along with the others. "We were only supposed to be _practicing_, Gaara, not trying to _actually_ kill one another."

"Hn."

The paint-faced ninja rolled his eyes at his younger brother. It had been six months since the Akatsuki kidnapped Gaara and extracted the Ichibi no Shukaku from his body and their family was still recovering from the incident. Gaara had to take time to sleep; without the demon's regenerative abilities, he suffered from the symptoms other, non-Jinchurriki insomniacs went through, and they were less than pleasant. In all respects, getting used to sleeping probably wouldn't have been so difficult if the redhead didn't have trouble wrapping his mind around the knowledge that Shukaku really _was_ gone, and his overall fear of sleeping didn't help either.

Kankuro, on the other hand, was still recovering from being poisoned by the infamous Sasori of the Red Sand. The poison had targeted and caused extensive damage to his muscles, the most critical being that to his heart and liver. The puppet-user trained as often as humanly possible to try and get back to his old strength, but whether he liked it or not, he would never be back to his prime.

He snorted to himself. It seemed their older sister, Temari was the only one that really managed to come off unscathed by the whole incident, though to say that she was certainly more protective of her brothers would be a serious understatement. The woman was like a damn hawk!

"Kazekage-sama, Kankuro-sama."

The two males turned, meeting the eyes of their former sensei.

"Ah, Baki-sensei," Kankuro started.

"What is it?" Gaara interrupted bluntly. Kankuro suppressed the urge to sigh in exasperation.

The half-masked jounin knelt. "We've captured the man who was suspected to be a spy, Gaara-sama, but… there's something odd about him. The council requests your presence."

The redhead exchanged glances with his older brother. "What is odd about him?"

Baki developed a troubled expression. "It is strange. He seems to be using some sort of henge, but we can't dispel it." Both younger ninjas narrowed their eyes. A henge that no one could dispel? "And we suspect that… he may not be human."

"Take me to him." Gaara ordered.

Baki nodded and stood. "The council is interrogating him as we speak. Let's go."

The three males took off, Gaara's eyes narrowed in thought. The knowledge that he was now Bijuu-less had spread much faster than anyone had anticipated and several smaller countries had already been trying to infiltrate and find weak spots in Suna's defenses. They had dug out and executed thirty-two spies this last month alone.

Everyone knew that it was only a matter of time until the village was attacked.

-

The tribal-looking man growled deep in his throat as the council members looked over him, subtly trying to work his hands out of the heavy iron shackles binding him. One of the men guarding him whacked his hand harshly when he nearly managed to slip free. The prisoner yelped in pain before hissing threateningly, his gold eyes glaring and sharp teeth bared in an inhuman manner.

"I'll tell you humans nothing!" He spat. Whatever technique was being used to hide his true appearance shimmered briefly as yet another ninja tried and failed to dispel it, brown hair flickering to blue-black for less than a second.

The flame-haired Kazekage narrowed his eyes. The so-called "spy" that had been caught was a strange man indeed. He didn't seem to be from a ninja village or any civilized village at all, though he somehow was up to date with all of the rumors and news that one would find in any of the larger, more populated villages.

"Why are you here?" Gaara repeated for the Nth time.

The prisoner glared. "It has nothing to do with you, _ningen_, so mind your own business!"

Gaara crossed his arms. "On the contrary, if it has to do with my village, it has to do with me. Tell me or I will use force."

The man made a clicking noise. "I'd like to see you try."

No sooner had the words left the prisoner's mouth than a blade of sand shot up from the floor, slicing into his arm and creating a deep gash. The man screamed in pain as his bone was exposed, blood quickly flooding the wound. The council members hid their shock at such brutality.

"_Ningen_!" The prisoner screeched. Breaking away from the men guarding him, the man leapt over the table, bolting straight for Gaara. The guards quickly hauled back on the chains, forcing the man to a stop at the same moment Gaara put a kunai to the stranger's throat. His jade eyes were chips of ice.

The golden-eyed man hissed. "The winds of change cannot be stopped. If _we_ cannot stop it, what makes you think a pathetic human like you can?"

Gaara narrowed his eyes further, pressing the kunai against the man's neck, drawing blood. "What are you?"

The prisoner smirked. "Pray that you never have to find out. We are born of sand, and when we die, so we become sand again." Before anyone could react, the prisoner jerked his head forward and into the kunai, slicing his throat wide open.

Blood sprayed everywhere and Gaara quickly stood and backed away. The man collapsed onto the table and twitched several times before falling still. Crimson fluid dripped off the table like sticky syrup. There was a bright flash on the man's forehead and his henge came back full, as if sealed there. A simple strip of paper appeared on his forehead and fell away, strange kanji written upon it.

Temari and Kankuro came up behind their youngest sibling, disturbed expressions upon their faces. Temari handed Gaara a handkerchief, her eyes fixed on the fresh corpse as her redheaded brother began wiping away the blood sprayed on his face and clothes.

"Gaara, what's going on?" She asked quietly.

The redhead frowned. "Something's coming."

**End Chapter One**

-

Holy crap, look, it's another plotbunny. . HOW MANY of these do I have now? Jeez… well, I hope you liked this first bit! What do you all think? If you haven't guessed, this will be GaaraOC. Three guesses who the OC is. It's a no brainer.

Okay, so this chapter left a lot to the imagination, bleh. Sorry for the evil cliffhanger. Hopefully, I'll be able to update this at LEAST once a month, but with my babysitting job and other fics in the works, we'll see what happens. I don't plan on making this super long, so you all know. I've already got fics like that in the works and don't want this one to totally take over. . Although I absolutely DO love this particular bunny!

If anybody wants a plotbunny, I've got a couple dozen of them. Just ask and specify what kind you want! Romance, adventure, self-insert, which character-centric, etc… I have practically everything.

Read and review! And check out my other fics when you get the chance!

Flames will be given to Gai and Lee to fuel their youth.

Ja ne!

Mysteri


	2. Chapter 2

The Wandering Sand

It is known that Shukaku was once a priest whose powers were known far and wide. But when he became a demon, what happened to his followers?

-

**Chapter Two – Weasels and Nets**

There were a number of nameless people that traveled in and out of Sunagakure on a daily basis, most of them nomads, traveling merchants, and the odd ninja from an allied nation. So a woman with long brown hair, dull violet eyes, and a short stature of 5' 3" usually went relatively unnoticed. Passports? Check. Reason for visit? Checking up on an old family friend. Possible threat to Suna? Negative. Check, check, check, and check. Welcome to Sunagakure.

Tsuna didn't bother to lower her Tanuki Henge once she knew she was in the clear. Better safe than sorry when in foreign territory. It had taken over seven days, but finally after scrounging through numerous desert villages and asking around (sometimes torturing for information before gloriously sacrificing to Father Shukaku) she found herself at the village where the human with the connection to Shukaku-sama should live. Kazekage.

She reminded herself to show the mortal the utmost respect. Anyone who was close to Lord Shukaku as Kazekage was said to be, deserved to be treated better than a king, and the fact that Kazekage was human made little to no difference; tradition was tradition, no matter the race or species. Her tail flicked, invisible, behind her.

She sighed quietly to herself. "Well, no use standing around." She muttered. _Now to find out where that human is…_

---------

Gaara scowled as the pen in his hand sprung a leak, dripping dark blue ink everywhere. He quickly tossed the office accessory away before it could drip onto his hand.

_Stupid omens._ He thought to himself darkly. _St__o__p__ warning me and tell me when this "horrible" thing is going to happen. Kami… I just finished this damn document too._

---------

Humans were virtually worthless creatures, Tsuna thought for the umpteenth time that day. It wasn't that she had trouble finding information in this smelly, human-infested village; no, not at all. It was finding the _right_ information. What did he look like, she'd ask? Some random group of hormone-overdriven females got big ugly hearts in their eyes and rambled for thirty freaking minutes about how 'cute and strong and brave and handsome Kazekage-kun was and how they were all going to marry him and bear his children!' It didn't take long for a fight to break out between the girls, which, although Tsuna found it amusing, she was ready to kill when the females thought her to be a threat to their 'eternal love' and tried to chase her halfway across town.

Where did he live, she'd ask? Some old male told her that he lived in a large, sandy colored house with the kanji for 'Wind' on it. That narrowed it down to… nearly every single damn house!

And one human even whistled at her and dared to call her a sexy kitten! A _**kitten**_! Said man was now cowering in front of her in an alleyway. The creature had soiled itself in terror when she let it see her true appearance.

"Where can I find Kazekage?" she hissed.

"I-I don't know. Training?" he offered shakily.

The tanuki girl growled. "_Where_, ningen?"

He squeaked in fear. "P-please! I honestly don't know! He's probably at the Kazekage tower if anywhere!"

She twitched. Stupid, worthless creatures… "And _where_ is this tower? Hurry up and tell me, my patience is at its limit!"

The human lifted a shaky hand and pointed left. "O-on the far side of the v-village. I-it's the largest building th-there is. Y-you can't miss it; i-i-it's shaped like a f-fist."

A picture of the building appeared in her mind. Ah, yes, that one. She smirked ferally. "I see. Your usefulness has ended then. Shukaku-sama will be pleased with your blood, I hope." She told him eerily, Tanuki Henge falling back into place.

The human's eyes seemed to bug out of his head. "WHA-?!" His cry was cut short as her tail, now invisible, wrapped around his neck. He gagged and grasped at the appendage, trying to pry it off him. For a moment he succeeded, getting enough breathing room to let out a terrifying scream. Tsuna tightened her grip, cringing. Another human had surely heard this one's cry.

Its neck made thick cracking sounds as she crushed his throat, jugular collapsing. With a sickening pop, the male's head fell away from his body, bleeding profusely as it rolled on the sandy ground like a dislodged pimple. The body collapsed, painting the wall with sweet, red liquid.

Under normal circumstances, Tsuna would have lingered to relish in her fresh kill, painting her face and perhaps even eat a bit. Human was a rare delicacy. They each had a different flavor depending on where they were from and what types of food they generally ate. Human females tended to have a rather sweet or sticky taste while their children were generally softer and had less flavor than their older counterparts. Males were the easiest to catch, being more prideful and daring, and were often bland, smoky, or sometimes fishy tasting.

Unfortunately for the tanuki, she could not do so now, not so deeply into human territory and after this one's scream. She spat on its body and leapt away as she heard the sound of approaching feet. It would not do well to be caught after committing the sacrifice.

---------

Kankuro grimaced at the sight of the bloody, headless body crumpled in the far corner of an alley. He heard a civilian begin to vomit after he or she made the mistake of peering after him.

It was painstakingly obvious that it was a fresh kill, hardly even minutes old and still gushing blood. He had heard the brief scream that the victim had made and rushed over, but apparently he had not come fast enough.

Swallowing his nausea, he walked over to the body and scanned over it for clues. His eyes widened when he saw the Suna hitai-ate around the dead man's arm. From the look of his severed head, he was one of the older genin in the village. _Shit. Gaara's not going to be happy about this…_

However, he couldn't see anything that pointed to a struggle or the use of weapons. The man's neck looked as if somebody had brutally ripped it off his shoulders. The most notable thing, however, and the most convenient, was that the killer had apparently done nothing to cover his or her tracks. He smirked before standing and biting his thumb. At first he'd been skeptical when his sister convinced (forced) him to sign her Weasel Summoning contract and so far he'd never used them even once, but now it seemed he got off rather lucky. He'd have to thank Temari later.

There was a poof of cloudy white smoke and a slim, black weasel blinked up at him before scowling. "What the… who the hell are you? You're not Temari-sama!"

The puppet-user twitched. "No, I'm Kankuro. Her _brother_."

The weasel narrowed its eyes. "… Oh, yeah, I remember now. You're that puppet-using prick who never summons us! What's the deal? Are you finally switching to weasels?" Its voice grew steadily more enthusiastic as it went on.

The paint-faced nin suppressed a sigh. "No, I'm not switching to weasels, but if you help me out now I'll try to start summoning you guys." Kami, he hated having to suck up to these things before gaining their alliance. If Temari had a ryo for every time she flattered these things into metaphorical crepes…

The weasel jumped up. "Oh, yeah! You've got a deal, mister make-up face! Oh, and I'm Ita, by the way," it said cheerily.

Kankuro sweat-dropped, too used to being teased about his kabuki paint to care about the veiled insult. "…This is your first time being summoned, isn't it?"

Ita stopped. "Um… no?"

The man only growled. "Look, I don't have time to chat right now. I know you weasels don't usually smell things out but I need you to lead me to whoever killed this guy."

"What do I look like? A DOG?!"

---------

Tsuna stared up at the large building, her eyes half lidded as if bored. Okay, this seemed to be the right building… now what?

She cursed herself inwardly. She should have paid closer attention to the tribe Shifters whenever they talked about the customs of human society. She never had thought she'd need the knowledge, to be honest. She saw several people walking in and out of the building to do… what? And why were they just waltzing in like that? Didn't they know that one had to show their respects before entering another's home? To just walk in like that was incredibly disrespectful. Was Kazekage looked down upon by the other humans and therefore got little to no respect? If so then maybe he'd be willing to join her tribe…

Tsuna was so caught up in her thoughts, however, that she didn't notice the human and animal racing up behind her until the weasel screeched.

She whipped around, narrowly dodging the sleek, black creature as it flew by her face. Its tail flicked at the last second, blowing the paper attached to her forehead away and disabling the Tanuki Henge. Time seemed to stop.

People in the street stopped dead in their tracks, looking over at her with wide eyes. The strange, paint-faced man's jaw dropped and the weasel stared in terror. Slowly, she turned her vicious green eyes onto the black-furred animal, growling darkly. The weasel screeched and ran.

"Dirty animal!" Tsuna yelled, crouching on all fours and tearing after the creature furiously. Her tail rippled in the wind madly. Ita darted into another street and Tsuna had to dig her claws into the ground in order to get around the corner after it.

"I'll eat you alive!" The tanuki girl snarled, and smirked when she saw that the alley was a dead end. The weasel clawed desperately at the wall at the end of the alley. She stood up straight, taking pleasure in the animal's uncontrollable fear. "I'm going to rip you apart, limb by bloody limb, you little pest."

However, an inhuman scream erupted form her throat as something sharp slammed into her shoulder. Ita took advantage of the moment and scampered away as the tanuki fell to her knees.

"Kankuro-sama! Save me, Kankuro-sama!" He cried.

The weasel became the last thing on Tsuna's mind as she looked up, ripping the human weapon from her flesh. Warm blood oozed from her shoulder and she whipped around, meeting the dark green, almost black eyes of the paint-faced human. She growled, fangs bared. The human's eyes hardened and he pointed at her.

"Arrest her!"

A dozen humans dropped into view, garbed in black and beige. Simultaneously, they all threw heavy weights into the alley. Tsuna gasped in shock when she felt wires crush down on her, pinning her to the ground. She screamed in frustration, clawing at the near-invisible wires. Damn it! How could she have been caught by human?! The wires clung tighter to her the more she struggled, tying around her and strapping her limbs and tail to her body until she could no longer move without the wire cutting into her flesh.

The paint-faced human hauled her upright, eyes burning with fury.

"You're coming with us, bitch." He growled.

Tsuna spat in his face.

**End Chapter Two**

-

Ugh, I'm not completely happy with this chapter, but whatever. If you're wondering why Tsuna was so easy to catch, she's never been around so many humans before and she couldn't successfully tell the difference between their scents, especially since they're all over the village. I also like to assume that since Gaara's kidnapping, the security around the village was strengthened, so that's why Kankuro could gather so many other ninja so quickly.

If anybody wants a plotbunny, I've got many up for grabs. Just ask and specify what kind you want! Romance, adventure, self-insert, crossovers, character-centric, time travel, etc… I have practically everything.

Read and review! And check out my other fics when you get the chance!

Flames will be given to Gai and Lee.

Ja ne!

Mysteri


	3. Chapter 3 not yet beta'd

The Wandering Sand

It is known that Shukaku was once a priest whose powers were known far and wide. But when he became a demon, what happened to his followers?

-

**Chapter Three – Wind Shadow**

Gaarea laced his fingers together contemplating the situation he was currently stuck in. kankuro and several others had apprehended a strange foreign girl who many thought to be a spy like the last person they had captured. And from what people were saying, she was anything but friendly.

The council members had been arguing fiercely over what to do with the foreigner since she didn't seem to be from another ninja village. Some members wanted to convince the prisoner to join their ranks while a number of others wanted her executed immediately. Gaara, for one, wondered when everyone in Suna had become so radical in politics. The redhead was known for his patience, but even in a situation like this he felt himself wearing thin. There were perhaps three people who had actually gone to see the prisoner for his or herself, and it had not ended nicely in any of the cases. The only thing they were sure of right now, was that the strange prisoner was looking for someone.

He walked alongside his older brother as they made their way down the prison halls, descending several flights of stairs to the lowest cells.

Kankuro turned to his younger, more powerful sibling. "You sure about this?" He asked.

The redhead nodded. "Hai. I want to see and judge her for myself."

The guard unlocked the door and Kankuro sighed, following his brother inside. "All right. Don't say I didn't warn you."

There was a harsh jangle of chains and two glowing orbs of gold-flecked green lit up in the darkness.

"These methods of torture are disgraceful and a dishonor to me." A female voiced hissed, her voice laced with a strange, lilting accent Gaara had never heard before. The eyes blinked shut for a moment as the prisoner spat blood and saliva into the light, right at the Kazekage's feet. The liquid glinted like some terrible ruby. "Release me." She hissed breathily, demanding.

Gaara's eyes narrowed and he took a single step forward. "You will tell us what we want to know and then you may be released or executed depending on your answers."

She made a threatening growl, which slowly turned into a dark chuckle. There was a soft, yet deep "thump" that reminded Gaara of a stick hitting sand. "You ningen are so predictable. Don't think that you can tell _me_ what to do. Be glad "m chained to this wall or I'd rip out your innards and eat you alive as sacrifice. Your pathetic human methods of interrogation won't work on me; the great Sand Priest will never allow it!"

Kankruo muttered under his breath. "Damn, she keeps going on about this, 'sand priest, sand priest, sand priest!' Whoever he is, he sounds like a loony… AH!"

The girl shot forward seemingly out of nowhere, her clawed hands stopping mere inches from his face, and he launched himself back out of her reach. His heart pounded in his chest. He hadn't even sensed her move!

"Holy _shit_." He breathed, his eyes wide.

The girl, now visible, bared her unnaturally sharp teeth at him. "It's filthy humans like you that caused his Lordship to lose his mind in the first place. Chained or not, prisoner or not, you would do well to learn your place when in my presence, infidel." She spat.

Realizing that she was now in sight, Gaara let his eyes run over the girl observantly, not noticing that she was doing the same to him.

The woman was strange and exotic looking. Her cinnamon dusted flesh, crusted and stained with her own blood, bore several intricate, dark blue markings, including around her eyes, giving her rings similar to his. A pair of arrow-like designs stretched up from her jaw-line toward her eyes, but not quite reaching. Her eyes were a strange, yet stunning shade of green marred by flecks of gold around her diamond shaped pupil. Sandy gold tresses of hair tumbled down her back and framed her round, chiseled face, a number of strange feathers and animal bones woven between the strands. Her necklace and the anklets wrapped around her bare feet were made of various skulls, presumably from small rodents and other animals. Dark leather made up the rest of her outfit, wrapping tightly around her bosom and waist and showing far more skin than Gaara thought necessary. There was also a furry, ringed appendage protruding from her rear end, though if it was just decoration or an actually tail, he couldn't guess. She looked positively tribal and her stance was that of an experienced warrior, though not all trained in the ninja arts

A deep growl caused him to realize her piercing stare. Her hand shot up to her face, covering her mouth, nose, and cheeks from sight. Her gaze was positively poisonous.

"Ningan…" she hissed. "Trying to replicate my people's appearance!"

For once, Gaara was truly puzzled. "What?"

"Your eyes!" she screeched. "What makes you think that you can have such eyes? What is it, charcoal? Ink? Remove those markings immediately!"

He inwardly grimaced. "The markings around my eyes are neither charcoal nor ink. I was born with them." He said coolly.

Her eyes widened. "N-not possible. You're only human, how could you possess the markings of the tanuki?" she whispered. Suddenly, she growled, tail whipping behind her, proving that the appendage was real. "Who are you?!"

He straightened. "I am Sabaku no Gaara, Kazekage of Sunagakure no Sato."

**End Chapter Three**

-

I am not happy with the beginning of the chapter by any means, but givers can't be takers. I had a hard time with this one; the next chapter should be much better though. So Tsuna and Gaara finally meet, I bet you all can imagine her reaction. Bwahahaha! …seriously, imagine it 'cause I won't be writing it.

Hm, there's a lot of Kankuro in this fic… I should probably so something with him….

If anybody wants a plotbunny, I've got many up for grabs. Just ask and specify what kind you want! Romance, adventure, self-insert, crossovers, character-centric, time travel, etc… I have practically everything and I need to get rid of some before I go (more) insane.

Read and review! And check out my other fics when you get the chance!

Flames will be given to Gai and Lee.

Ja ne!

Mysteri


	4. Chapter 4

The Wandering Sand

The Wandering Sand

It is known that Shukaku was once a priest whose powers were known far and wide. But when he became a demon, what happened to his followers?

-

**Chapter Four – **

Two days. Gaara had only been hosting the foreign female in his house for two days and he, along with nearly half of the population of Suna, was wishing he had gone ahead and exterminated her when he'd had the chance (the other half had yet to see or hear about the girl).

She was a curious and alien individual, and had so far spent her time exploring his house, the village (only when he went with her, as it seemed she would not tolerate any other ninja), and harassing anyone who came across her path. She'd made attempts to kill people that annoyed her on her first day, but when Gaara made it clear that he would kill her and leave her body to the carrion birds if she so much as scratched a member of his village, she begrudgingly restrained herself.

_Tsuna, she said her name was_, he thought to himself. Due to the tanuki girl's violent behavior, he had all of his paperwork brought to the home he shared with Temari and Kankuro so he could keep an eye on her.

"Gaara!" Kankuro's voice echoed down the stairs. "Can you make that girl get out of my room?! Hey, hey, HEY! Put those back!"

"Eek! What are these?! Pictures of people mating?! It's not mating season yet!"

Gaara ignored them. He was home to keep Tsuna from causing trouble and getting violent, not to keep her from digging through his brother's porn stash. With any luck, it would keep her occupied for a while, though very few things could hold her attention for long and she would go back to asking him questions.

For someone so… demonic (for lack of a better word), Tsuna was a talkative individual, filled mostly with questions and insults. What was the purpose of Kankuro's face paint? How could the little switches on the walls make day into night when you flicked them? And what Kami did humans worship, were only a few of her more civil questions. Most were much stranger and inhuman. Gaara and his siblings had managed to settle most of her curiosities so far, but she had asked why he didn't just kill the people he was displeased with (something she brought up after a genin had spilled tea on his lap while delivering a stack of papers), Gaara found that he had no answer that the tanuki could understand.

She had family, people to care form that much was evident, but her view of humans was little different from how royalty would view a slug. Something worthless and disgusting, sooner to be scraped of the bottom of her foot than showed an ounce of compassion.

How cruel were her people, he wondered? The only person she gave respect was Gaara himself, and yet beneath that respect he sensed her hesitancy in acting such a way towards a human, former demon container or not. Shukaku was the one she respected, and so, in turn, she respected him… for the time being. However, that didn't stop her from frightening away the people that kept the Kazekage mansion clean (something both he and Temari agreed was a necessity. Kankuro was definitely one of those "bachelor pads," type of people), and whatever lecture he attempted to give Tsuna was brushed off more lazily than a slap on the hand. He had even gone so far to slap her once, but she merely grinned sadistically and licked the blood from her teeth with enthusiasm.

She was cold, cruel, insane (though she may have been viewed as normal among her own people), and viewed all others as inferior. Given the chance, Gaara was sure she wouldn't hesitate to kill anybody who so much as looked at her the wrong way, and as much as he tried to deny and suppress it, he was afraid, for she reminded him far too much of his younger self.

Despite the fact that Tsuna was female and an entirely different species, she was a familiar figure, one far too familiar for his comfort. She even had the damn rings around her eyes! He suppressed a shudder, wondering what he'd be like if he'd never met Uzumaki Naruto and changed his ways.

"_There is a strict balance that governs our people. For every one of our children born, someone must die, whether they be Tanuki or ningen. It is a cycle that will never cease so long as our creator has a connection to us. However, for the last six months, no female has been able to bear a living child, and no matter how many sacrifices we make, no more infants are born. The only explanation for this," she clenched her fists, "Is that something has happened to Shukaku-sama!"_

He curled his fingers around his mouth, thinking back on her words. She had asked, no, she had quite literally begged for his help once he'd revealed that he was the Kazekage. Neither he nor Kankuro had graced her with an answer, though. Defeating Akatsuki was on his personal list of "things to do," but Shukaku was a burden he had no interest carrying again. He was not obligated to help Tsuna, especially not after she had killed one of his shinobi and the threatened many others, but for reasons he could not explain, he felt drawn to her and inclined to do as she pleaded. Was it because, perhaps, of the knowledge that an entire race would die if he didn't at least try to free the demon that was responsible for every ounce of suffering and loneliness in his life?

However, despite all that the demon had put him through, Shukaku was not a being he could hate. The yokai had been a part of him, even before birth, and as a Jinchuuriki, he could understand the demon better than most people ever could. Shukaku had been insane and bloodthirsty, but, like Gaara, there had been a lingering grief buried deep within; and Shukaku had only called for human blood, never that of animals (though the tanuki wasn't above harming animals in order to _get_ to the humans).

It was said that Jinchuuriki were like reflections of the demons they carried, and as a former demon holder, Gaara knew that to be true. Shukaku: unsleeping, insane, easily angered, and patient. Kyuubi: aggressive, reckless, grinning, and mischievous, preferring torture over instant death. And he'd heard that the Nibi was a lone, untrusting huntress who only killed when provoked and had an intense maternal streak.

A pair of tanned, tattooed hands slammed on the desk in front of him. Unfazed, he looked up into intense green eyes surrounded my messy blonde tresses.

"Tsuna."

"Well?!" She asked loudly. "Have you decided yet?"

He turned to a stray sheet of paper that wasn't pinned underneath her clawed fingertips. "Decided what?"

Her lower lip pouted out in frustration. Though Gaara would easily admit that the tanuki girl was prettier when she wasn't covered in blood in bruises, she was also a more intimidating figure.

"When we're going to my village, of course!"

"'We?'" he repeated, feigning ignorance.

Her cheeks flushed angrily, diamond-shaped pupils shrinking. "You… you…" a growl escaped her and she swiped all the papers off the table. He glared after the white sheets as they fluttered to the floor, now a disorganized mess. He met her gaze as she leapt onto the table, jamming her little pointed nose right into his personal space bubble.

"You're the entire reason I'm in this damned ningen village!" She hissed. "Surely you don't expect me to return to my father alone! You're the only one who can help us save Shukaku-sama! You know what's happened to him and where he is! Why will you not tell me?!"

He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. She had had two similar outbursts already. "I see no reason why I should help you in the first place. I have a country to run, unlike you, who has done nothing but insult and harass my people since she arrived."

She turned redder and stood up on the table. "Why you…"

Gaara concentrated on keeping his eyes on her face. Kami, hadn't her people heard of underwear?

Tsuna narrowed her eyes, the corner of her mouth quirking up slightly as she settled back into a crouch. The Kazekage eyed her suspiciously.

"You have a week." She said coolly.

"A week to what?"

"To decide whether or not you'll come back to my village and help me. If not…well."

"Well _what_?" The redhead demanded.

She leaned closer, pausing where he could feel her breath on his lips, breath that smelled of blood. "Then I'll stop being so nice." A pillar of sand formed behind her shoulder, taking the shape of a particularly deadly spike, and pointed at him.

Only one thought echoed in Gaara's head as he realized that it was not him who was controlling that sand.

_Well, fuck_.

**End Chapter Four**

-

"Well, fuck," indeed, I'm sorry this is so late and so horribly short. I'll be honest. I forgot about this fic for a while. It's not one of my bigger projects, so…. Sorry. I;m going to write like crazy and see if I can get another chapter up later today or tomorrow.

If anybody wants a plotbunny, I've got many up for grabs. Just ask and specify what kind you want! Romance, adventure, self-insert, crossovers, character-centric, time travel, etc… I have practically everything and I need to get rid of some before I go (more) insane.

Read and review! And check out my other fics when you get the chance!

Flames will be given to Gai and Lee.

Ja ne!

Mysteri


End file.
